 | |||
| Nickname(s) | الصقور العربية (as-Suqūr Al-‘Arabiyyah, "Arabian Falcons") الصقور الخضر (as-Suqūr al-Khoḍur, "The Green Falcons") الأخضر (al-'Akhḍar, "The Green") | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Saudi Arabian Football Federation | ||
| Confederation | AFC (Asia) | ||
| Sub-confederation | WAFF (West Asia) | ||
| Head coach | Hervé Renard | ||
| Captain | Salem Al-Dawsari | ||
| Most caps | Mohamed Al-Deayea (173)[1] | ||
| Top scorer | Majed Abdullah (72)[2] | ||
| Home stadium | Various | ||
| FIFA code | KSA | ||
| |||
| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current | 59  3 (24 October 2024)[3] | ||
| Highest | 21 (July 2004) | ||
| Lowest | 126 (December 2012) | ||
| First international | |||
 Lebanon 1–1 Saudi Arabia  (Beirut, Lebanon; 18 January 1957) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
 East Timor 0–10 Saudi Arabia  (Dili, Timor-Leste; 17 November 2015) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 United Arab Republic 13–0 Saudi Arabia (Casablanca, Morocco; 3 September 1961) | |||
| World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 6 (first in 1994) | ||
| Best result | Round of 16 (1994) | ||
| Asian Cup | |||
| Appearances | 12 (first in 1984) | ||
| Best result | Champions (1984, 1988, 1996) | ||
| Arab Cup | |||
| Appearances | 7 (first in 1985) | ||
| Best result | Champions (1998, 2002) | ||
| Arabian Gulf Cup | |||
| Appearances | 24 (first in 1970) | ||
| Best result | Champions (1994, 2002, 2003–04) | ||
| WAFF Championship | |||
| Appearances | 3 (first in 2012) | ||
| Best result | Group stage (2012, 2014, 2019) | ||
| Confederations Cup | |||
| Appearances | 4 (first in 1992) | ||
| Best result | Runners-up (1992) | ||
Medal record | |||
| Website | saff.sa | ||
The Saudi Arabia national football team (SAFF) (Arabic: المنتخب السُّعُودِيّ لِكُرَّةُ الْقَدَم) represents Saudi Arabia in men's international football. They are known as Al-Suqour Al-Arabiyyah (Arabian Falcons) and sometimes Al-Suqour Al-Khodhur (The Green Falcons), a reference to their traditional colours of green and white, and represent both FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Considered one of Asia's most successful national teams, Saudi Arabia have won the AFC Asian Cup three times (1984, 1988 and 1996), reached a joint record six Asian Cup finals and have qualified for the FIFA World Cup on seven occasions since debuting at the 1994 tournament. Saudi Arabia are the first Asian team to reach the final of a senior FIFA competition at the 1992 King Fahd Cup, which would eventually become the FIFA Confederations Cup. Only Australia and Japan managed to repeat this feat in 1997 and 2001 respectively, though Australia achieved it when they were a member of the OFC.
At the 1994 World Cup, under the leadership of Jorge Solari, Saudi Arabia beat both Belgium and Morocco in the group stage before falling to Sweden in the round of 16. Thus, they became the second Arab team in history to reach the knockout stage of a World Cup after Morocco in 1986 and 2022, and one of the few Asian national football teams (the others being Australia, Japan, South Korea and North Korea) to accomplish such a feat to date. During the 2022 World Cup, Saudi Arabia caused a large upset when they beat eventual champions Argentina 2–1, the first time Argentina lost to an Asian representative in a FIFA World Cup. However, Saudi Arabia then lost the following matches against Poland and Mexico to finish last.
In 2027, Saudi Arabia will host the AFC Asian Cup, the first time that the nation has ever hosted the Asian Cup.[5] They will also host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.[6]
- ^ "FIFA Century Club" (PDF). Fifa.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- ^ "Majed Abdullah". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 24 October 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 16 October 2024. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia confirmed as hosts of the AFC Asian Cup 2027". the-AFC. Archived from the original on 21 February 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- ^ Panja, Tariq (15 November 2023). "Inside Man: How FIFA Guided the World Cup to Saudi Arabia". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.